TRANSPORTATION Introduction This
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CHAPTER 3 – TRANSPORTATION Introduction This Chapter serves to focus not only on the existing transportation system as it pertains to roads, but also the network of alternative means of travel, which include pedestrian, rail, air, water, and mass transit. Identifying all modes of transportation in a comprehensive manner allows for the local governing body to develop plans for improvements to this system that will provide for the efficient movement of people and goods throughout the County. This approach ensures that all governing bodies with jurisdiction over this network will work together for the benefit of this County in a regional context as well. Roads There are several governing jurisdictions within Morgan County that oversee the road system. This includes the State routes under the West Virginia Department of Transportation Division of Highways (DOH), the municipal roads within the towns of Paw Paw and Bath, and to a lesser degree the private road systems that are approved primarily as part of developments in the County. This order of ownership and maintenance is part of the reason for current limitations on the County’s ability to improve the overall road network. Given the County’s automobile dependent population, which has increased from 76% residents driving alone in 1990 to 78% in 2000, other factors influencing this process should also be identified in developing a plan to address these deficiencies. First, the West Virginia Department of Transportation DOH owns and maintains most of the roads in Morgan County. This means that improvements must be programmed, funded and implemented at the State level through an established process. Second, there are no specific requirements within the County’s regulations to assess and mitigate the traffic impacts of new development. Third, the County is wedged between several other counties that cross over four separate states with their own established transportation improvement process and funding priorities. Lastly, the County includes numerous historically significant sites and sensitive areas which create difficulties in constructing necessary improvements in a timely manner. The West Virginia DOH uses a functional system which classifies each public roadway. In Morgan County two functional classifications are represented. This includes feeders, which serve communities and collect and feed traffic to the higher systems, and state-local service roads, which serve local traffic movement in and around the County. U.S. Rt. 522 and WV Rt. 9 are considered feeders, and all other roadways are classified as state-local service. The functional classification system is as follows: • Expressway- connects metropolitan areas and provide service to major interstate or interstate travel • Trunk-line- is the intrastate network intended to serve smaller cities TR-1 • Feeder- serves smaller towns and industrial and recreational areas not served by the higher systems • State-local Service- roads are localized arterial and spur roads which provide access and socio-economic benefits abutting properties and are further sub-classified as Essential Arterials, Collectors, and Land Access • Occasional use- is the lowest classification of the local road, providing access to rural areas on a low-volume basis Level of Service Transportation studies conducted by the West Virginia Department of Highways consider the ability of roadways to provide adequate service for the existing volume of traffic in terms of Level of Service (LOS). Level of service is a comparison of traffic volume and the capacity of the roadway, which are measured in a range from “A” to “F” with “A” being the highest condition and “F” the worst. Level of Service “C” represents stable flow and is generally considered as the goal for service. Table 3-1 Traffic Volume Level of Service Level Description A Zone of condition of free flow, with low volumes and high speeds. B Zone of stable flow, with operating speeds beginning to be restricted somewhat by traffic conditions. Drivers still have reasonable freedom to select their speed and lane of operation. C Zone of mostly stable flow, but speeds and maneuverability are more closely constricted by the higher volumes. D Zone that approaches unstable flow, with tolerable operating speeds, however driving speed is considerably affected by changes in operating conditions. E Zone that cannot be described by speed alone. Operating speeds are lower than in Level D, with volume at or near the capacity of the highway. F Zone in which the operating speeds are controlled by stop-and-go mechanisms, causing forced flow. The stoppages disrupt the traffic flow so that the volume carried by the roadway falls below its capacity; without the stoppages, the volume of traffic on the roadway would be higher, or in other words, it would reach capacity. Source: West Virginia Department of Transportation Major Roads Historically, the highest traffic volumes in Morgan County have been experienced on US Rt. 522, particularly in the Berkeley Springs area. Traffic volumes in this location increased from approximately 6,900 vehicles per day in 1980 to 17,100 in 2005, with nearly 20% of the total TR-2 volume being heavy through truck traffic. Other areas along this route that experienced significant development include the Timber Ridge District, which experienced 7,700 vehicles per day in 2005. This route has also seen a significant and continued increase in heavy truck traffic, which is used as an alternate route between I-81 at Winchester, Virginia and I-70 at Hancock, Maryland. Based on standard Level of Service (LOS) measurements for average daily traffic flow, US Rt. 522 operates at level E for its entire length through West Virginia. The second most heavily traveled roadway in Morgan County is West Virginia Route 9. This route enters the County at Paw Paw, running north along the west side of Cacapon Mountain and crossing U.S. Rt. 522 in Berkeley Springs, then turning east toward Martinsburg in Berkeley County. Since 1980 traffic volume has increased from 1,500 vehicles per day at the Berkeley County line and 2,600 in Berkeley Springs to 4,200 and 5,900 respectively in 2005. Traffic on WV Rt. 9 from Berkeley Springs to Great Cacapon ranged from 900 to 2,000 vehicles per day in 1980 to 1,700 to 3,800 in 2005. Unlike the relatively constant and in some cases decreasing average daily flow of traffic south of Great Cacapon near the Paw Paw area in 1980, traffic volumes in this area in 2005 averaged 2,400 vehicles per day. Depending on location, alignment and other factors, WV Rt. 9 operates at various LOS throughout the County, with the worst being a level E at its intersection with US Rt. 522 in Berkeley Springs. Local Roads Aside from the major road improvements to US Rt. 522 and WV Rt. 9, there are ten projects from previous studies outlined in the 1985 Comprehensive Plan that were identified for improvements by the State. Since that time four of the projects have been completed. The remaining projects have either been removed from the State priority list or folded into the major ongoing projects relating to the US Rt. 522 bypass and WV Rt. 9 alignment study. Except for several minor routes that traverse the County, which are also maintained by WVDOT, all other roads outside of the municipal systems are private and/or part of the various subdivisions. However, simply because these types of roads within the transportation network are not owned and maintained by any governing entity does not mean that there are not needs for improvements to segments of these types of roads throughout the County. The Town of Paw Paw includes several miles of local roads, which function primarily as local neighborhood roads connecting to WV Rt. 9. This State route runs east-west through Town, serving as Main Street before crossing the river on the west side of Town, into Maryland. The Town of Bath, which is surrounded by the Berkeley Springs area, includes several miles of roads within the corporate limits. These roads are owned and maintained by the town government, and serve as local connections to US Rt. 522 running north south through the Town. This road, which serves as Main Street through Town is also used as the connection for WV Rt. 9 which enters the north end of Town from the west and heads east out of Town to the south. TR-3 Bridges Due to the terrain, elevation, and number of waterways, bridges play a key role in improvements and expansions to the road network in Morgan County. An assessment of bridge sufficiency ratings was completed in 1984 as part of the overall traffic volume studies, to determine how increased traffic would impact these crossings. From that evaluation six bridges were identified as needing improvements in order to be sufficient in handling projected traffic demand and maintaining a safe passable structure. Since that time only one of the listed bridges has been upgraded. None of the currently listed State transportation improvement projects includes the remaining five bridges identified in the study as needing to be upgraded. Table 3-2 WVDOT Highway Improvement Program Route Location Improvement Cost Year CO-002 Fairview Drive Cont Paving 134,000 2006 CO-522/13 Wilkes Street Improvement 293,000 2006 US-522 Berkeley Springs-VA RD Resurfacing 600,000 2007 US-522 Berkeley Springs-VA RD Resurfacing 300,000 2006 WV-009 Fishers Ford Bridge Reconstruction 2.8 million 2006 WV-009 Paw Paw-Great Cacapon RD Cont Paving 285,000 2007 WV-009 Cacapon-Berkeley Springs Resurfacing 500,000 2010 WV-009 Berkeley Springs-Hedgesville Cont Paving 120,000 2009 WV-009 Berkeley Springs-Hedgesville Cont Paving 200,000 2008 WV-009 Great Cacapon-Berkeley Springs Other 1.24 million 2008 US 522 Hancock Bridge Clean & Paint 2.1 Million N/A CO-8/18 Packing House Br.